In conjunction with the exhibition Maven of Modernism: Galka Scheyer in California, the Norton Simon Museum presents a selection of films by director and art collector Josef von Sternberg. Von Sternberg, who jointly sponsored four Blue Four exhibitions in Los Angeles with Galka Scheyer in the 1930s, was just one of many celebrities and collectors in her circle. All of the films featured in this series were produced in the 1930s and star Marlene Dietrich, another of Scheyer’s friends. Films screen every Friday in May at 6:00 p.m. and are free with general admission. All films are in English.

Morocco (1930), NR Friday, May 5, 6:00–7:30 p.m.

At a smoky cabaret in Morocco, Légionnaire Tom Brown (Gary Cooper) meets café entertainer Amy Jolly (Marlene Dietrich). A woman with a checkered past, Jolly toys with the callow Brown, but eventually falls hopelessly in love with him.

The Blue Angel (1930), NR Friday, May 12, 6:00–7:45 p.m.

Elderly professor Immanuel Rath’s (Emil Jannings) ordered life spins dangerously out of control when he falls for Lola Lola (Dietrich), a singer and dancer at the Blue Angel nightclub.

Dishonored (1931), NR Friday, May 19, 6:00–7:30 p.m.

Marie Kolverer (Dietrich), a Viennese prostitute, offers her services as a spy during World War I. As “Agent X27,” she proves invaluable to her superiors, seducing and betraying enemy officers with the greatest of ease. But when she falls in love with Russian spy Col. Kranau (Victor McLaglen), she must face the consequences of her actions.

Shanghai Express (1932), NR Friday, May 26, 6:00–7:20 p.m.

While traveling on a train from Peking to Shanghai, a notorious prostitute named Shanghai Lily (Dietrich) runs into a former flame (Clive Brook) who is being held hostage and whom she could intervene to save.

Admission:

All screenings are free with Museum admission. Admission is $12.00 for adults; $9.00 for seniors; and free for Museum members, students with I.D., and everyone age 18 and under. For more information, call (626) 449-6840 or visit www.nortonsimon.org.

Norton Simon Museum is at 411 West Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena; located on the corner of Colorado and Orange Grove Boulevards at the intersection of the Foothill (210) and Ventura (134) freeways. Parking at the Norton Simon Museum is free.